4.5⭐️
Thank you so much to Harlequin & Netgalley for providing advanced copies of this book! All thoughts and opinion are still my own.

Everything Rachel Reid writes is an absolutely hit. This was much sweeter and more emotional than some of her other books, while still having her quintessential lovable characters.

While this still fits into the hockey romance genre, we're actually following 2 older MCs, both of whom are retired from the NHL. And I love getting to see older main characters.

This also tackles some pretty heavy topics - (unexpected) loss of a parent, emotional regulation disorder, internal (and external) homophobia, etc.

One of our main characters left the NHL after losing his best friend (with occasional benefits) and in the process, himself. Now years later, after the sudden loss of his father, that best friend returns, resurfacing old wounds. Both of them are working through the mistakes they made years ago, what is next after hockey, and how to cope with grief amongst other mental health issues.

This is told in present day with flashback chapters where we get to see the MCs throughout their friendship - from the flirtatious beginning to disastrous end. It's a second chance romance that requires the reader to forgive the love interest for some pretty harmful behavior. But personally, I really loved the groveling journey.

If you've enjoyed Rachel Reid's previous books, I think the characterization and themes are right on par with her previous books. However, if you're not a second chance romance reader, this may be a hard one for you to get on board with.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve found myself reading a Rachel Reid novel, and I’ve enjoyed her work in the past, so I did my very best to give this one a shot (ha ha). Not to mention that I’m a huge fan of second chance romances, especially when they’re angsty—and they include cute hockey players—but it took me so long to get through this. First because flashing back to previous timelines is a mistake. I don’t care who the author is or what the book is about, if you’re flashing me from now to then between chapters, it’s an immediate no from me. It takes me right out of the story. I should have quit when it happened the first time, but I have a hard time quitting on books because…what if it gets better? What if I miss out on something great?
Let me say this, the only thing great I would have missed out on here is Riley and his dog, Lucky, who both deserved a guy who didn’t fuck and run while he was married. I had no love for Adam from the moment their past started to come to light. It was selfish and entitled for him to just show up when it was convenient for him (and at the absolute worst time for Riley, of course). He was selfish when they were young, and selfish as an adult, and I wanted better for Riley.

I flew through this book, but I had mixed feelings. So much about this book was phenomenally done - mental health rep, Riley's grief, the small town setting. What I didn't love was Adam, the other mmc. While he was absolutely tying to redeem himself in the current day, I couldn't get past his treatment of Riley in the past and just generally disliked him because of that. Once I decide I don't like an MC, it's VERY hard for me to come back from that.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Look, I’m all for a second-chance romance, but this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The story centers around Riley, who’s dealing with the fallout of years of being mistreated by Adam, the guy he’s been in love with for ages. Adam shows up after Riley loses his dad, and Riley’s not exactly thrilled to see him. Honestly, I’m kinda tired of the whole "closeted athlete who slept with his best friend and tried to brush it off" trope—it's tired and played out.

Adam spends the book trying to win Riley back after crawling out of the closet, but Riley’s understandably skeptical, and I get that. I didn’t forgive Adam. I wanted him to grovel—and then some. I don’t think Riley should have forgiven him. While I like second-chance romances in theory, they never seem to deliver enough of a real, sincere apology and actual growth from the person who did the wrong. And most times, the one who was wronged ends up kissing their feet, and that’s just not my thing.

The writing was decent, and the emotions were definitely raw, but there were a few things that bothered me. The kids’ absence was odd, and the whole ex-wife thing didn’t sit right with me either. Plus, the cover art really made them look like they were in their late 20s, even though they were supposed to be in their 40s. That just doesn't make sense to me.

It wasn’t a bad book, but it wasn’t anything special either. If you’re into second-chance romances, you might vibe with this, but it wasn’t my favorite.

ARC provided by Netgalley and Carina Adores; review is voluntary.

I've really enjoyed Reid's books over the last several years. Gay sports romance is one of my favorite subgenres and Reid does an amazing job writing feelings, yearning, and realistic angst. In this book, both characters are a bit older and instead of worrying about contracts and the team, they're focused on life post-hockey and what to do with their futures.

There were a few flashbacks to the past to show what happened between Adam and Riley, but most of the story takes place now after both men are retired. There's not a lot of action in this, more grief and forgiveness, so the pacing was a bit slow for me.

This was a nice story and I liked having characters that were a bit older and less worried about image and what the public thought. Read this when you want to be in your feels for a bit.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Carina Adores and NetGalley for the copy.

This book didn’t so much captivate me as it consumed me. I felt every ounce of emotion poured onto the page - all the hurt, anger, hope, and elation. It was simultaneously the best book I’ve ever read while also being a totally gut-wrenching experience. It’s the kind of second chance story that has you on the verge of tears yet filled with hope all at the same time.

The overarching theme for this one is grief, which might seem odd for a romance, but it’s woven into the fabric of the story. It’s the grief Riley and his family share over the loss of his father (TW: death of a parent off page but recounted on.) But it’s also grieving lost time and missed opportunities - decisions made and regretted. Wounds inflicted that time never healed. The kind of grief that turns bitter, never reconciled, and unwilling to stay locked away where it can never hurt you.

This probably sounds depressing, so let me reassure you there’s plenty of hope and love to balance it out. There’s no mistaking what Riley and Adam share, who they are to each other, or what their mistakes have cost them. The way Rachel Reid depicts their growing feelings and relationship - both then and now - is moving and powerful. These guys and their connection are endlessly captivating, and I was definitely rooting for them every step of the way.

I also want to acknowledge the astounding way Rachel Reid conveys Riley’s battle with mental illness. It’s not skirted around or swept under the rug; it’s front and center, a huge part of his thoughts and actions in a way that feels real for once. It’s messy and chaotic, and NGL, it might make some people uncomfortable to share his emotional space. But experiencing his vulnerability, fear, and uncertainty - and everything that comes with it - is the truest representation of who he is, and I love him even more for it. Not to mention seeing Adam work so hard to understand and support him didn’t hurt either.

So if you love second chance romance and friends to lovers with older MMCs, give this one a shot. It’s a moving, captivating, all-consuming emotional ride that I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

This book was emotional, romantic, and heart-wrenchingly beautiful all at the same time. I felt all the feelings, except anxiety, which is what truly made this a 5 star read for me. It was angsty without being stressful and I find that to be a very difficult balance to achieve. This is a second chance romance which follows Riley and Adam, two characters in their 40's that reconnect more than a decade after their relationship imploded in their 20's. They're brought back together by the death of Riley's father, which throws grief into the powder keg of emotions that they're both trying to deal with.

What I loved the most about this book was each character's maturity. Maybe it's their age, or the perspective of having taken so many years to think about what transpired between them, but both Riley and Adam come into the situation with very healthy boundaries. Adam comes back into Riley's life after facing all of his demons. He accepts his sexuality, owns up to his mistakes, and offers himself to Riley in any way that Riley will take him. Riley has dealt with his mental health, maintains a strong support system, and knows exactly what he deserves.

We get a few flashbacks of the events that led to their breakup all those years ago but mostly this story is about moving forward. The flashbacks we do get show a "right person wrong time" dynamic which makes watching these characters fit back together like puzzle pieces even more beautiful. I loved everything about this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Adores publishing for a chance to read this book. Give me hockey romances... yes. Give me male hockey romance with another male.. Yes i love my M/M romance books. Adding hockey yes please always sign me up. I read one of her books before and the energy from the characters she writes is just electrifying and so perfect and such a page turning. The romance was one thing but the hockey in here just made me love the sport all that much more and im a big Dallas Stars fan. It was so easy to fall in love with both Riley and Adam in this book and i enjoyed every moment in this book. If i could give it more then a 5 star i would.

I was doing SOOO good at not requesting too many ARCs and getting overwhelmed and reading them at the very last minute..and here we are. Even though I requested this MONTHS ago...oops. Here's Rachel Reid's "The Shots You Take."

["After moving back to his hometown ten years ago, Riley Tuck thought he had left his major league hockey career—and his broken heart—far behind. But when an unexpected tragedy strikes, it brings ex-teammate and former best friend with benefits Adam Sheppard back into his life.

Coming to the small town of Avery River, Nova Scotia, might have been a mistake. Adam’s not sure he’ll ever win back Riley’s trust after the way they left things—and the attention he’s getting as a huge hockey star isn’t exactly helping. Yet the chemistry that crackles between them is undeniable, even now.

As Adam helps Riley navigate his grief, long-buried feelings start to resurface. But they’ll have to square off with their complicated past if they’re going to have a real shot at a new beginning."]

Blown away. What else can I say about Rachel Reid. She's done yet another masterpiece.

Did I cry? Yes, hell yes. Did I mind it? Not so much. Not when these two got their HEA (finally).

Was it an easy HEA? Ha! Hell, no. Especially since this was a second-chance romance. It already started with angst and heartbreak. Add in more angst and pining and more heartbreak? Yeah...

#netgalley #arcs #arcteammember
#theshotsyoutake #rachelreid #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

This was a great queer hockey romance full of longing and second chances. I loved seeing Riley and Adam together again and getting to talk through their feelings from years ago. There is so much tension between them and I loved the dual pov and seeing them both yearn for each other and what could have been.

I received this book from the Publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for an honest review .... downloaded it quite a few months ago, read it .... and then set it aside for a while to let it marinate in my mind, and then I re-read it.

Honestly, in my first read, I did not like the characters. I felt the pace of the book was way too slow, and then once we got the end, it all wraps up in a HEA. With a second read, I was perhaps a tiny bit more forgiving and understanding, but bottom-line, this book did not work for me.

Adam and Riley were best friends, an amazing duo on the ice for nine seasons, winning the Stanley Cup. But along the way, they had a sexual relationship which usually started with Adam getting drunk, them having sex, and then "usually, within two minutes of coming, he [Adam] would be laughing nervously and saying stuff like "Wow, shit. That was crazy" and "see you tomorrow, Riles."

After 12 years apart, Adam comes to the funeral of Riley's beloved father, and tries to make amends. And in my mean, unforgiving heart, there is nothing that Adam could say or do that would ever be enough to make amends to Riley, much less result in a charming happy every after. And yes, Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, but in the end while Adam and Riley have come to a resolution, there's not enough in the book (at least for me) that makes that resolution feel right and true.

I hold several of Rachel Reid's books deeply in my heart (Heated Rivalry I'm sending a chef's kiss your way) but I miss the level of character development shown in the Game Changers series and the careful plotting that leads us readers to a conclusion - no matter how unlikely in the beginning - that works so well. In comparison, The Shots you Take is an abbreviated take on a story that definitely needs the level of development and care. 3.5 stars.

I would drain my savings to read anything Rachel Reid writes, the most perfect romances with alllll the feelings and swoony worthy moments.

We get an amazing slow burn, second chance romance with older MCs that have life experience behind them that only adds to their beautiful story. But be prepared for tears and high emotional moments that will drain you but piece you back together (i promise).
Riley’s grief is felt deep in your bones, Adam’s growth over time is palpable on the page and they come back together strong together. There are suck tender, soft moments that truly show a love that wasn’t meant to be before, but has finally found its way back home

THANK YOU I LOVED THIS ARC!
for an Ilya and Shane enthusiast I appreciated the differences and the nuance in their relationship. Im forever in love with Rachel Reid's writing and the way she makes you invested in her characters, never fails to amaze me her way with words and above all her portrayal of pining and yearning. Love her books so much.
Thank you thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for this eARC I thoroughly enjoyed it

I really liked this one. I liked the full second chance for both men. I felt the emotions radiating off of Riley. Not just his grief but his anxiety as well. The thing about the novel is the tenderness. The tenderness between family members as each grieves in their own way, but doesn’t abandon each other. The tenderness that Riley’s friends have for him, and then for Adam after knowing his past with Riley. The tenderness Adam has to patiently wait for Riley to forgive him, but to know what Riley needs as well. And then Riley’s tenderness to know that Adam was trying. It just made the novel more real for me.

Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.

I was expecting a little more hockey but this takes place after both men are retired. While I understand Adam had a hard time coming to terms with his sexuality he still treated Riley abysmally. He does redeem himself in Riley’s eyes but he’s still awful. I normally enjoy second chance but this was just ok.

I really enjoyed Rachel Reid’s novel Time to Shine when I read it in spring 2024. So much so that I had my romance book club read it last November. I was, not surprisingly, very much looking forward to Reid’s latest, The Shots You Take - another M/M hockey romance. Perhaps it was high expectations but this one let me down in the end.

Here’s the book’s description:

After moving back to his hometown ten years ago, Riley Tuck thought he had left his major league hockey career—and his broken heart—far behind. But when an unexpected tragedy strikes, it brings ex-teammate and former best friend with benefits Adam Sheppard back into his life.

Coming to the small town of Avery River, Nova Scotia, might have been a mistake. Adam’s not sure he’ll ever win back Riley’s trust after the way they left things—and the attention he’s getting as a huge hockey star isn’t exactly helping. Yet the chemistry that crackles between them is undeniable, even now.

As Adam helps Riley navigate his grief, long-buried feelings start to resurface. But they’ll have to square off with their complicated past if they’re going to have a real shot at a new beginning.

I think I can see what Reid was trying to do with part of this story - show how the toxic masculinity of professional men’s hockey leaves no space for mental health issues or homosexuality. These are huge problems that continue to this day and it’s not surprising to anyone who pays at least a little bit of attention to pro hockey. Even though this is an important discussion and something that still needs a lot of work in the hockey world, it was sometimes hard to read about. Harder, I think, than I expected in a romance. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that romances are diving into deeper issues but sometimes, like in this case, it just doesn’t quite land as I think Reid intended. At least, not for me.

The other heavy thing, that was also way more than I was expecting, was how Adam dealt with being gay. Now, I’m straight. I have no idea how hard it is to come to terms with being gay, especially not in a pro hockey environment. I don’t really blame him for how he approached *waves arms* everything. What was hard for me to read was how brutally he hurt Riley. I don’t know if I could have forgiven Adam for how he acted. He treated Riley like absolute garbage. But, of course, I’m not in love with Adam myself and love makes us do silly things sometimes. So, the first part of the book wasn’t really working for me. There was a ton of grief and pain that I was absolutely feeling through the characters but it wasn’t what I wanted to be feeling in this romance.

The book is mostly told in the present day but there are multiple chapters that hop back in time to tell how Riley and Adam got to the point they’re at today. I think this was probably the best choice so the reader gets to really be in the story with the guys. But that also meant the emotions were way more intense.

Trigger warnings abound. The book starts at the funeral of Riley’s father. There’s much discussion about being gay, being closeted, coming out, and being gay in pro sports. There’s also a lot of talk about mental health and Riley’s struggles are discussed in some detail.

I did like the small town vibes and how close Riley was to his remaining family members (though, as is common in a romance, they didn’t really have as much page time as one might want). I wanted to be friends with Adam’s ex-wife because she seemed like such an amazing woman.

I wanted to love The Shots You Take but Rachel Reid’s latest novel left a lot to be desired. There may be romance readers out there who love it but I’m not one of them.

*An egalley was provided by the publisher, Carina Adores (Harlequin), via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Hockey+MM romance+Rachel Reid? Instaread and WHAT A RIDE! While this book was HOTHOTHOT, it also delicately navigated shame and grief and learning to communicate which is rare in a book so spicy!

I love Rachel Reid and her fictional hockey players. Did I love The Shots You Take? No, I didn't. But I liked it. The characters are compelling, the setting is different from what we've read in the past, and the secondish chance plot is convincing but needed a bit more space to develop. I didn't like how Adam treated Riley in their past or the much too quick resumption of their friendship and romance once Riley forgave him. I think many readers will feel the same. I just don't think a novel of this length allows for enough groveling to satisfy readers - even ones who like the second chance premise. And I would argue this isn't really a second chance, anyway. This is Adam's first chance at being the person Riley deserved from the start.

I liked it and I would recommend it - especially if you are a Rachel Reid fan, but with reservations if you aren't..

I was very excited to get this ARC. I have only read one other book by this author and I enjoyed that one quite a bit but I kept hearing such great things about her other books, that I wanted to read more. This book did not disappoint. It was even better than the previous one I read.

It was wonderful to see a second chance romance with older protagonists--both Adam and Riley are in their early 40s and I can't tell you how much I loved that. This book explores not only identity but also grief, finding ones place in the world, relationships. growing into who you are, and becoming comfortable with that person. It was warm and romantic, both funny and profoundly sad. The exploration of grief and loss--loss not only of a loved one but also of ones preconceived notions, ones family, ones sense of self, ones control of life and lived experiences, truly resonated. I ached so much for both the MCs at various parts of the story and I couldn't keep the smile off my face at other moments. The story has a maturity and depth to it, layered and complicated. I loved the dual narrative and the moving back and forth in time, following Adam and Riley's relationship from its early days. I loved that it followed a non linear progression that revealed more as the story progressed.
Absolutely beautiful storytelling. First love, forever love, second chances, family, home, and comfort all deliberated on in this book. The grief and mental health issues were deftly handled.

Highly recommended.

What I enjoyed the most about this story was how realistic and complicated the emotional journeys were for each character. Big feelings are weird and confusing! I didn't love how we got to the resolution but the characters were likeable.